Focussing on three families, one Irish Catholic, one Scottish Protestant, and one French Canadian Catholic, the author outlines the history of Point St. Charles, a working-class neighbourhood in Montreal, between 1840 and 1930. The three families are: the Irish Catholic Mullins family, the Scottish Protestant Turnbull family, and the Galarneau family, a French Canadian Catholic family from Assumption, Quebec. During the period under review, the Point was first inhabited by Irish immigrants, followed by British immigrants, then French Canadians, and lastly by Eastern European immigrants. The author outlines the industrialization of the area, starting with the railway workshops near Victoria Bridge, as well as the churches, schools and shopping streets used by the Point's inhabitants.